1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to truck bed covers and, more particularly, to a convertible to cover that additionally protects the side body panels of a work truck.
2. Description of the Background
Conventional pickup truck flat bed covers include both hard shell and soft varieties, and the latter are generally a leather or vinyl fabric panel that is stretched across the bed of the truck and attached to the side walls of the bed by snap fasteners. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,750 to Pirhonen shows a cover for a truck bed which includes a framework of bars connected around a truck bed, and a flexible sheet of cover material detachably connected to the bars by fasteners cooperatively aligned and placed about the peripheral edge marginal region of the cover and the respective bars. Such covers have long been known and used for covering and protecting payloads, and as much for aesthetic value as they substantially improve the appearance of the truck. However, the protection afforded extends only insofar as the truck bed and not to the exterior of the truck.
There is an equal need to protect the exterior sides and tailgate of the truck bed, especially for workmen""s trucks where tools and equipment are retrieved from the truck bed quite frequently throughout the course of an average work day. Otherwise, it soon becomes very expensive to repair all the scratches, dents and dings that result from dropped tools and loading/unloading of heavy equipment.
The problem is reflected in U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,545 to Slaugh, which suggests a solution in the form of a protective off-highway covering for all exterior sidewalls of the truck. The covering is made in separate cover sets of tough and strong flexible material, each set being made up of separate pieces for attachment to a longitudinal side of a pick-up truck. The pieces are to attached by fasteners including marginal pockets in the sheet material for engaging parts of the vehicle, sets of snap fasteners, and strip fasteners.
Unfortunately, the Slaugh ""545 patent is not an economical solution inasmuch as it attempts to cover all exterior paint, whereas only the immediate work areas (truck bed sidewalls and tailgate) need protection. It would be greatly advantageous to provide mats (or panels) for protecting the truck bed sidewalls and tailgate and, in addition, panels that easily convert into a cover for the contents of the truck bed.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a set of fitted convertible panels that can be particularly configured either to safely protect the external work areas of a truck bed (sidewalls and tailgate), or to serve as a payload cover.
It is another object to provide convertible protective panels as described above that provide for quick and easy insertion and removal for storage.
It is another object to provide a pattern for convertible protective panels that results in a high degree of stability and durability.
It is a further object to provide a set of convertible protective panels as described above that can be manufactured easily and economically.
It is still another object to provide a set of convertible protective panels as described above that can be embellished with sports logos or the like to serve an ornamental display purpose as well as a protective purpose when used at tailgates, etc.
In accordance with the above-described object, the present invention provides a pair of side panels and an end panel all having a fastening strip spanning the upper width for removable attachment to the inner rim of a truck flatbed. In addition, the side panels and end panel all have a plurality of fastening straps extending downwardly and with distal fastening means thereon for overlapping attachment to the opposing fastening strap of the other panels. This configuration allows the opposing side panels and tailgate panel to be opened and hung exteriorly of the truck bed to protect the exterior surfaces and prevent scratches, dents and dings, or alternatively draped over a payload and joined via the fastening straps to cover and protect the payload in the truck bed. All of the side panels and end panel are preferably comprised of double-layer sections of reinforced fabric sewn together at the margins and centrally reinforced by a cross-stitch pattern at the mid-section. The fastening straps are likewise double-layer sections of reinforced fabric sewn together at the margins and centrally reinforced, and having opposing hook and loop sections of fabric sewn along both sides of the distal extent.
The inner surfaces of the convertible panels can easily be embellished with sports logos or the like by screen printing or embroidering to serve an ornamental display purpose. This way, when the convertible panels are unfurled for protection at tailgates or the like, they serve an additional protective purpose.